NEW YORK (April 19, 2018) - Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment (VWSE) announced today the extension of its exclusive marketing and media sales representation agreement with longtime client U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States.

The agreement runs through the 2025-26 season, extending the partnership through two Olympic quadrennials.

“U.S. Figure Skating has been an incredible partner for Van Wagner Sports over the past 10 seasons,” said Jeff Knapple, president of global sales, VWSE. “We have grown tremendously together and are excited to continue representing U.S. Figure Skating’s desirable marketing and media assets for the long term.”

For the first time in their decade-long relationship, VWSE and U.S. Figure Skating will together control all commercial media inventory on NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network for 80+ hours of planned competition coverage each season.

“Expanding our coverage on NBC and controlling every commercial unit is a new course for our relationship with U.S. Figure Skating and one we heavily analyzed,” said Rem de Rohan, VP of global sales, VWSE. “We strongly believe in the future of this organization and are eager to control the market for this coveted adult-female consumer base in a unique live sports environment.

In addition to the commercial inventory across NBC and NBCU, U.S. Figure Skating and VWSE will continue to offer a full suite of multiplatform sponsorship assets including event entitlements, television-visible rinkboard signage, content integration, in-arena fan engagement opportunities, digital and social media extensions, grassroots programming and more.

“Van Wagner has become an important extension of the U.S. Figure Skating family over the last 10 years,” said Ramsey Baker, chief marketing officer, U.S. Figure Skating. “They understand our sport and we have built a solid foundation together. This extended relationship gives us the opportunity to further develop platforms that serve our brand partners’ needs in creative ways, which will make our offering that much stronger for years to come.”

U.S. Figure Skating hosts two major events annually including Skate America, one of six events in the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which draw approximately 120,000 fans each year. 2018 Skate America is set for Oct. 19-21 in Everett, Washington, while the 2019 U.S. Championships will take place Jan. 19-27 in Detroit.

Earlier today, U.S. Figure Skating and NBC Sports announced a long-term extension of their partnership in which NBC Sports will be the exclusive television home for domestic and international figure skating competitions through the 2025-26 season. Coverage of the 2018-19 season starts in October with the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series and concludes with the 2019 World Team Trophy in April.

The 2017-18 figure skating season concluded last month with American Nathan Chen winning his first world title following a fifth-place finish at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in February. Team USA won two Olympic medals in Korea. The U.S. won bronze in the team event before siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani finished third and won bronze in the ice dance competition.

About Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment

Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment LLC (VWSE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Van Wagner Group LLC, is one of the preeminent sports marketing and media sales organizations in the world. It is an acknowledged innovator in property consulting and branding solutions and a global leader in naming rights, team and venue services, high-impact visible TV signage throughout the MLB, NBA, NCAA, MLS, and internationally in soccer, advertising and sponsorships sales, premium ticketing, technology design and integration, and in-venue content production. VWSE works with more than 300 professional and college teams worldwide. VWSE assists teams, organizations and properties in creating and selling advertising; sponsorships; and media that maximize revenue potential, and helps clients develop effective and powerful customized brand campaigns.

About U.S. Figure Skating

U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of more than 750 member clubs, collegiate clubs, school-affiliated clubs and more than 1,000 registered Learn to Skate USA programs representing more than 184,200 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed.